What you're watching

Kiefer Sutherland is back on prime time with 'Touch'

March 22, 2012 | 1:47
pm

Kiefer Sutherland may have to wait for awhile before he's on the set of "24: The Movie," but he's not exactly lounging by the pool. His new series "Touch," which had a sneak peek in January, resumes its regular run Thursday night.

And just to show that everyone on planet Earth is connected, you know, in a Tim Kring kind of way, Fox hosted a unique worldwide global premiere of the series Sunday, simulcasting it to Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and Turkey.

The series casts Sutherland as the underemployed widower dad of a quirky young boy who has a freaky ability to use numbers to predict future events. Those predictions send Sutherland off on missions of good to correct problems that may occur.

The series was created by Kring, the same guy who created "Heroes," and shares many of that show's preoccupations with fate. But if you were turned off by the other series, have no fear: Sutherland isn't wearing a cape in this.

Times TV critic Robert Lloyd reviewed the show when it had its post-"American Idol" sneak back in January and described it as "a well-dressed work of solemn, sentimental nonsense whose undeniably appealing theme is that there is an order to the universe, a mystical, mathematical intention that is working to heal our wounds, protect our children and fulfill our dreams."

Sutherland told reporters at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in January that "Touch" was not an attempt for him to buy his old tough guy Jack Bauer persona from "24." (In fact, Sutherland has been working to make sure the movie version of "24" gets made). He says the project spoke to him.

"I really wanted to spend some time apart from the amazing experience I had on '24' and try some different things," he said in January. "I was at page 35 [of the script], and I went ... 'I'm in real trouble,' because it was just so beautifully written."